


The Cop and Club Job

by GirlOfSaltAndStars



Category: Law & Order: SVU, Leverage
Genre: Case Fic, Crossover, F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Finale, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 09:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14829773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlOfSaltAndStars/pseuds/GirlOfSaltAndStars
Summary: Parker’s grin widened and she rubbed her hands together, causing Eliot to smile, despite the seriousness of the job “Let’s go steal a club then. And a police force.”ON HIATUS for the foreseeable future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted at FF.net. Comments and reviews feed my muse. OT3 don't like don't read. Post-Finale

January 29th, Manhattan SVU Prescient, New York, New York 

Olivia Benson loved her job. Sure there were unspeakable horrors she was seen and been subjected too because of it, but at the end of the day, when justice prevailed for the victim, she loved it. She loved winning. She was not winning. 

“What?” she asked, her voice incredulous. “Eliza Oliver, the coma patient, has vanished?” She asked, staring Fin down as he stood in the door way of her office. 

The veteran detective shrugged. “I dunno what to tell you Liv. The hospital can’t find her. The only trace of her being there is an unmade bed and her charts.” 

Olivia sighed and ran a tired face over her hands “Thanks Fin, I’ll let Barba know.” She said, her voice suddenly tinted with exhaustion. He was not going to be happy. As Olivia dialed the ADA’s number, she wondered just how a seemingly simple case had turned into this mess, with a missing witness and now a missing victim. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
January 5th, Leverage Headquarters, Portland Oregon 

Eliot and Parker were already seated when their client entered the Brew Pub. The woman matched the picture sent in, and Hardison confirmed over the coms that the nervous woman who had just entered was in fact Karissa Knowles. 

She was obviously nervous, Eliot noted, and in mourning. She looked like she’d hardly slept in days, a look Eliot knew well, having worn it many times himself. She approached the bar, where a young man was working and spoke just loud enough for Eliot to hear her across the room. “I’m looking for Parker?” He didn’t catch the response of his employee, but he did see when he pointed in their direction. 

The anxiety written all over Karissa’s face didn’t lessen as she made her way towards them, in fact, by the time she reached their table it had increased tenfold. Eliot assessed her critically as she sat down, his face impassive. Her nerves seemed to be legitimate, but why was she so nervous? It could be the fact that she was consorting with criminals, albeit reformed ones, but the paranoid part of Eliot whispered doubts in his mind. Was she nervous because this was a set up? Was she nervous because she was here to kill them and was too inexperienced to hide it? Or- endless possibilities raced through his mind, few of them good. 

It was almost if Parker could read his mind, because her hand briefly touched his arm, grounding him to reality. Parker wasn’t good at emotions still, not really, but she knew Eliot well and he was sure that she was having the same thoughts to some extent. She hadn’t looked away from the woman, Karissa, and the touch was casual, but it was enough to alleviate some of the tension that had built up in his shoulders. His paranoia, far better than it had once been, was still problem, especially after the last job they’d taken… Eliot banished all thoughts of murder from his mind as Parker started the conversation. If problems arose, he would deal with them, like he always did. 

“I’m Parker. This is Eliot. You said you had a…. problem we could help you with?” Parker probed. Her voice was not gentle like Sophie’s, yet her tone was not quite as abrasive as Nate’s was. It was all Parker, though much more toned down than her normal voice. 

Karissa’s eyes flickered between the two, before finally settling on her hands. “I… my sister, she-she was murdered.” Karissa’s voice broke on the last word and she clasped a hand over her mouth, but that only served to muffle the abrupt sobs that wracked her body. “I’m so-sorry.” She managed to eke out between sobs. Parker cast a vaguely panicked look at Eliot who gave her a reassuring look, before reaching across the table to take Karissa’s free had.

“Hey,” Eliot murmured, trying to channel his inner Sophie. “It’s all right, it’s all right. Just take your time.” He kept his hand on top of hers, as a symbol of comfort, as the woman cried. Eliot’s paranoia was practically erased. The woman was distraught over her sister for sure. Eliot and Parker waited for the woman to collect herself, rather awkwardly to be honest. Parker shifted in her seat slightly, and she was playing with the ring on her finger, a rather recent nervous tick of hers. Parker was brilliant, but she did not handle crying women well. At least she wasn’t yelling at her to pull herself together. Eliot resisted the urge to smile at all the times Parker had done something similar. At least Hardison had gone off comms for this part, Eliot was sure he’d have some stupid commentary for this part. 

Finally, Karissa managed to stop the sobs and catch her breath. Eliot retracted his hand, which Parker quickly grabbed under the table, as Karissa wiped her eyes with one of the napkins on the table. HE didn’t say anything, just grasped her’s back. “I’m sorry.” Karissa repeated, “It’s just that, it’s all so fresh and I don’t know where to start…”

For a moment Eliot was afraid shed cry again, and that they would never make it through the story. But thankfully Parker butted in. “The beginning would be a good spot.” She said, with just enough force to startle Karissa into responding. Perhaps it wasn’t the gentlest way to get the woman talking, but he wasn’t going to complain if it worked. 

Karissa swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, yes, you’re right. Three years ago, my sister got mixed up in a real bad crowd, specifically a bad boyfriend. Took Yvonne for everything she had before Yvonne got away. Yvonne was left with nothing. I was hardly making it by, with two little ones myself, so she took to dancing. She made decent money, and for the first few months, it was fine. She managed to get herself an apartment.” Karissa explained. At some point, she had produced a picture of herself and another woman who Eliot could only assume was Yvonne. She was pretty, young looking, maybe early twenties, only a few years younger than Karissa it seemed. 

“But about six months ago, the club she was working for, Exotica, changed hands. IT was messy and I don’t know the details of how or why. What I do know, is that once Landon Downing took over, everything changed. Yvonne stopped coming around as much, and when she did, she was different. Scared. She said that she was being forced to work more hours, perform more private dances, for less pay. Yvonne was terrified of something. And she was right to be. Because she died. They killed her. They murdered my baby sister and the cops wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. They said that it was overdose. Listen, I’ve lived in New York my whole life and I know good and well what an overdose looks like and Yvonne didn’t overdose.” Karissa’s voice was shaking, this time from anger; no rage. Eliot had seen it before, felt it before. 

Eliot glanced at the picture. It was recent, as noted by the date stamped in the corner and Karissa was right. Yvonne showed no signs of drug use in the picture. “You think the new owner, Downing, had something to do with it?” He questioned, looking back up at Karissa with a concerned face. Ever since the last con with Nate, the one where they all faked their deaths, their cons had mostly revolved around dealing with names in the black book, not avenging murder. Hell, even when Nate was around, bringing down straight up murderers wasn’t their normal case. And now with just three of them, Eliot was wary, scared something would happen to Parker or Hardison. At the very thought his grip on Parker’s hand tightened slightly, to which Parker faintly squeezed back. 

She nodded seriously “I’m certain of it. Those cops had something to do with it to… the way the case closed so quickly, making sure it didn’t get to SVU. They even threatened me and my kids.” Her laugh was humorless and borderline hysterical “They said that if I continued to pursue it or took it to the higher ups, they’d do to me what they did to Yvonne. And I can’t leave my kids, not when I’m all they have left. You all were my last effort. If Detective Benson could get on the case I know she’d do her best, but I can’t risk it. Please, please help me get justice for my sister.” Karissa was begging, pleading with them to help her before her sister’s death was lost to a corrupt system. Eliot glanced at Parker and knew that risks be damned this case was theirs. 

Parker’s voice was hard, yet almost soothing, as she replied “Ms. Knowles, my team will gladly take your case.” 

The relief was palpable on Karissa’s face at the words. “Thank you.” She said, on the verge of tears again “Thank you so much.” 

“Why are you thanking us now?” Parker asked, a hint of confusion slipping into her voice. “We haven’t done anything yet.” 

If Karissa even noticed Parker’s professional facade fall, she didn’t seem to care “Thank you for trying. Thank you for caring about us.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Eliot and Parker left Karissa in the booth, with instructions to Amy to give her whatever she wanted (or Amy thought she needed) on the house. The pair made their way upstairs where Hardison was already pulling information up. The screes were lit up and he was ready and waiting. Eliot didn’t have to ask how he knew they were taking the care or what it was about. One of his partners had bugged the pub at some point, and after silencing the comms, Alec had still listened in. 

He waited for Parker and Eliot to get settled, one the couch and in the chair respectively, before starting. “Yvonne Knowles. She was 22 and a dancer at the club Exotica.” He said explaining. “her death was ruled a drug overdose, from heroin. And if ya’ll are squeamish you might wanna close your eyes cause these photos are nasty.” Alec warned, before pulling up the pictures from the M.E. 

Parker wrinkled her nose but stared with more abstract curiosity than anything. Eliot rolled his eyes. “I ain’t squeamish Hardison.” He muttered, lacking any heat. “And Karissa was right. That ain’t no Heroin overdose.”

Hardison raised his free hand in mock surrender, before pulling up another document. “This is the official report, but there was another report submitted less than three minutes beforehand, and promptly deleted. They erased it from all their servers, so the only version that we might get to is the paper copy which I can’t hack.” 

“So I need to steal it?” Parker asked hopefully, causing Alec to give her an indulgent grin, despite the fact that Parker likely already had plan formulating in her mind. She didn’t need his permission, but she still asked, maybe only to make him laugh. A smiled ghosted across Eliot’s face. 

“You’re the mastermind mama. You tell me.” Hardison said with a wink, causing Eliot to scoff slightly, though a grin played at his lips. He loved them, but they were both just so flirty, it was adorable, even when it wasn’t directed at him. 

“Anyways, back on topic Hardison.” Eliot reminded him, taking a sip of the beer he’d snagged earlier. Hardison rolled his eyes, but continued his presentation, swiping the documents to one of the smaller screens, and pulling up a photo of a woman that Eliot didn’t recognize, as well as several news articles. 

“This, is Sergeant Olivia Benson of Manhattan SVU. Karissa mentioned her earlier and I did some digging. Benson is a season detective, having ben with SVU for nearly 17 years now. She is notorious for siding with victims and never letting a case go. She isn’t afraid to go after anyone who has done wrong.” Alec explained. “Football players, millionaires, movie stars, and regular old scum, you name it, she and her department have arrested them.”

Hardison pushed that aside as well, bringing a picture of a sleazy man to the front of the screens. “This is Landon Downing, definition of scum. He’s got records a mile long and based on his finances, he is just a general slime ball.” Hardison said with a face of relative disgust. “And there was a definite connection between him and four of the officers who were working the night Yvonne was killed. The club was ending money to them and based on phone records, several men who worked in that prescient frequent the club. And, the three officers that found Yvonne’s body? All club regulars who got a nice big payout from an offshore company the same day. Now, if ya’ll don’t call that fishy, then I don’t know what you do.” 

Parker nodded slowly, perched on ‘her’ chair. “Hush money. The club did something and wham, with a little money, the cops cover it up. Government corrupted by cash.” Eliot studied Parker’s face. He could see the wheels turning as she assessed the situation. “The real question is how far that corruption runs. The Benson lady looks nice, but can we trust the people in her office?” 

Eliot had already thought that. If this Sergeant Benson was innocent of corruption, which she seemed to be, was everyone else? Or was someone within the SU department covering up leaks and making sure none of it got to her or the others. “That’s the gamble.” Eliot agreed. “That’s why we can’t just give our info to her. Someone might find out and hurt Karissa and god knows who else.” Eliot said, frowning deeply. 

“I can vouch for Detective Tutuola , he’s been around nearly as long as she had, but the others are relatively new. Couldn’t find much on them, except for the Amaro guy, her partner. He’s been investigated several times for anger related issues.” Alec explained. “There are five detectives in total, counting Benson, not to mention a number of regular officers they regularly work with. I didn’t get a chance to look into them past the basics, but honestly? I’m not sure how much there is to find.” 

Eliot nodded. “Police are like the service. Even good men screw up, and most of the time those screw ups don’t make it on record.” Eliot had served long enough and had enough encounters with cops to know that was a fact, not an opinion. 

Silence washed over them for a moment before Parker broke it, as she abruptly rose from her chair. “Call Sophie and Nate. We’re gonna need extra hands for this one boys.”

“Already got a plan?” Hardison asked, even as he pulled out his phone to call the ‘retired’ couple. He grinned. “Damn you are good.” He said with a fond grin. 

“You doubted her?” Eliot half joked, casting him a look. 

“Naw man.” Alec said, shaking his head. “Never.” 

At the praise, Parker’s grin widened and she rubbed her hands together, causing Eliot to smile, despite the seriousness of the job “Let’s go steal a club then. And a police force.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you get at glimpse of OT3 life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and reviews make me a happy camper. Also, I’m not sure how it happened that the first half of this chapter turned into what it did. But I was playing with Parker’s voice and it happened. Next chapter has more plot than this one, but this one has some important stuff in it.

Though Parker knew they needed to wait until morning to leave, she was still climbing up the walls with the energy that comes from a new case. Part of it was physical, there was always an adrenaline rush that hit her before the case even started, perhaps in anticipation of what was going to happen, but the other part, was mental. The challenge of a fresh case, unbroken, and unknown that she could turn over in her mind, playing out scenarios that were wildly fantastic yet somehow still plausible. 

Parker hadn’t always done that. Well, she had, but she hadn’t realized she was doing it until Nate showed her. It was how her mind worked, playing out what seemed to be every possible situation that could happen based on the given variables. That (and her level of skill) was the reason she was such a goof thief, Nate had explained, she could see all the options, all the variables, and account for it. Sure there were things she could never account for (see trained attack geese. She hadn’t seen that one coming) but she still had more options in her head than most people could come up with in a life time, as Nate had put it once.

So, really, being a mastermind was nothing new to Parker. That wasn’t where the problem laid. The problem was that now she had to factor her team into the equation. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, it was just that, she didn’t like doing it. She didn’t like having Eliot bash heads together, she didn’t like making Hardison grift and hack. Parker knew they were capable. She knew they could do their job and do them well. It was just… she wanted them safe. And sometimes, in those plans, in those scenarios she saw, they weren’t. 

They were hurt and in some occasionally bad cases, like this one, it was worse. That fear had been burned into her mind since the job where they faked their deaths. It had only then occurred to her that they were not invincible. Sure they had been knocked down before, but from things you can get up from. You don’t get up after death. 

Before, when Nate was around, Parker hadn’t worried as much. At first it was because she didn’t really care about the others. She got to jump off buildings and crawl through vents. Good day. And generally she could go with Nate’s plan but have her own as a fall back. But then she grew attached, she learned to trust Nate and his plans, so there was not real need to play the scenarios (and even when she did, she trusted that Nate would avoid the bad ones). But now that weight was on her shoulder, and sometimes it scared her, which she hated. Because what if next time, the unknown variable wasn’t attack geese? What if it was a bomb? Or a knife to Hardison’s throat, or a few too many men for Eliot to handle?

Parker hated being scared. It made her feel gross on the inside and it made her question things. Things she shouldn’t question. Trust your gut, Archie had told her and Nate had echoed. But how could she trust it when it was knotted so tight that it felt like someone had used it for a ribbon? 

All these thoughts, the mix of dread and excitement, was keeping Parker awake. So after a long phone call with Nate and Sophie who were to meet them in New York, she sent Eliot and Alec to bed, promising she would join them soon. She doubted she would join them period. Instead, Parker went up to the roof, where she promptly perched herself on the ledge. 

The brewpub wasn’t a particularly tall building, but it was tall enough, and there was a strong wind that helped too. Heights made Parker feel better. Feel in control. It helped relax the fear in her stomach, even if it was just a little. 

Parker had no idea how long she had been perched on the ledge, considering everything, when a gentle hand was laid on her shoulder. She didn’t startle; Parker had heard him coming. “Parker, babe.” It was Alec, like she thought “You need to get some sleep. It’s nearly two in the morning, and our flight leaves at seven.” 

Parker frowned. She hadn’t realized it was that late. Or was it early? Either way, she hadn’t realized just how long she’d been perched there. “I’m fine Alec.” She said, shaking her head. “Ga back to be before Eliot misses you.” 

She hadn’t even taken her eyes off the city as she spoke. Whatever fear had been relieved was now back full force. She was so busy trying to breathe that she didn’t notice Hardison ease down onto the ledge beside her, until he took her hand in his. 

Parker felt her eyes widen, almost comically, because Hardison was scared – no terrified – of heights. Yet there he was sitting beside her on the ledge. She could see his faced had paled some, but still he was looking at her with concern (and she was pretty sure the concern wasn’t about the height). 

“Parker, what’s wrong?” he asked gently “You’ve been doing this too much, disappearing before a case, not sleeping either. What is it babe?” Alec’s voice was so gentle, so loving that she almost told him. But she didn’t. Parker hated being scared and hated talking about it even more. That was one emotion she couldn’t handle, not from herself anyways. 

“Please just go back to be.” Was her only response. “I’m fine. And Eliot-“ 

“I’ve already missed you.” Okay, so she hadn’t heard Eliot come on the roof. Damn that’s what fear and emotions did sometimes, and she didn’t like it. “I was trying to sleep, but I woke up after someone got out of bed.” He cast Hardison a look that was supposed to be withering, but really was more teasing and loving than anything. 

Parker sighed. She wasn’t getting out of this easily, not with both of them tag teaming her. So she turned and slid off the ledge and onto the roof. Hardison was right behind her and Parker smiled ever so slightly as his obvious sigh of relief and being back on the roof. “Okay. You guys won. I’ll go back to bed.” She said, trying to walk past Eliot, towards the door. However, Eliot grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. 

“Parker.” He said softly, yet firmly, “We ain’t going back to bed until you tell us what’s wrong.” Eliot released his grip on her hand, and Parker turned around, her shoulder slumped. 

“Fine.” She said, crossing her arms. “I’m worried about the case. I don’t want to-to screw it up.” Parker was surprised when her voice wavered on the last word. She never cried. Ever. That was a feeling worse than fear. So Parker blinked hard, forcing the lump in her throat to vanish. 

“Is that it?” Eliot probed quietly.

“I don’t want to mess up and get you guys hurt!” 

The worst burst from her lips before she could stop them, leaving Parker reeling. She hadn’t meant to say it, but now it was too late to take it back. The silence following her declaration was deafening, so she kept talking “I have all this responsibility now, and I have to make sure the plan works, so you don’t get hurt. I can’t mess up!”

“You won’t” Eliot said, before anyone else got the chance to speak. “You’re good Parker, you know what you’re doing.” 

“He’s right.” Alec agreed, stepping closer. “You are too good. Girl, you’re way better than Nate was. He saw that, and we do too. I trust you. Eliot trusts you.”

Eliot nodded “Besides, Parker, taking these jobs, is dangerous. Hardison and I know that. Hell, its my job to deal with that danger and nothin’ is going to stop me from doing that. I’m good at it too. We take these risks knowingly. You think you have to worry about everything, but you don’t. Hardison and I, we can handle it.” 

“But Nate-“ 

“You’re better than Nate.” Hardison repeated and when Parker gave him a skeptical look he just continued “Don’t look at me like that, you are. Nate was good, but he didn’t think about us sometimes. He forgot we were people not his pawns. You don’t. That’s what makes you better.” 

It was all she needed. Yes she was still worried and scared but something about the two men she loved, both standing on a roof with her, telling her they knew she could do it, that made everything seem better. Parker liked to think that she didn’t care about what other people thought of her, and usually she didn’t. But she was human still, more human now than she had been almost six years ago when she met the team. And she needed this sometimes, as much as she hated admitting it. She didn’t know what to say, sometimes words still didn’t work or her, but that was okay. She knew that when she hugged Eliot and pulled Hardison in too, that she had said enough. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
January 6th, Leverage Headquarters, Portland Oregon  
By the time they were on their flight at seven am, Parker was bursting with energy despite only two hours of sleep, a feat which Hardison couldn’t fully understand. After the drama on the roof top, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, so he settled on the couch with his laptop and got to work on their fake IDs and lives, using Parker’s general descriptions of their characters. She dozed off at some point, leaning on his shoulder, and had stayed like that almost the entire time he worked.   
Parker woke up around five, looking rather alert. He’d given her a quick kiss before she went to go pack. He wasn’t sure what she was packing, but she came back with a bag full of something. Probably her climbing gear.   
It was easy to get whatever they needed past airport security. Parker throws a fit and the other two slip everything else through, it was a practiced routine they did often, but it was sill amusing to watch Parker throw a fit about taking off her shoes or something equally as trivial, and the early hours only made the security agents that much less interested in dealing with a dramatic woman at gate three.   
So really, the only obstacles between Portland and New York, was Parker and her seemingly endless energy. Eliot was in a decent mood, and Hardison himself was in a pretty normal pre-job mood, despite the fact that he was on an airplane instead of the solid ground. He was doing his best to distract himself from the fact he was flying, son he was on his laptop setting up the finishing touches on their IDs, thanks to the plane’s Wi-Fi network (even if it was complete and utter crap compared to what he had set up at home, though it being so weak meant that it was easy to hack and secure for his own purposes). Parker had gotten up the go do something, likely terrorize a stewardess for pretzels or something.   
“So,” Eliot asked from the seat beside him “What are our new identities?” There were very few people on the plane, and almost none in the seats next to them, which Hardison had nothing to do with (he totally didn’t hack the airline and show that all these seats had been bought).

“Well,” Hardison said, turning his laptop so that the hitter could see it. “I’m Benjamin Oliver and Parker is my wife Eliza. Eliza is a dancer at the club and I’m just an accountant at a small online company. You are Adrian Jones, part time Exotica worker and transfer cop into the prescient. You work at Exotica at night a few days a week to pad your meager beat cop salary. You have an apartment in that name and Parker and I have one in our name. You moved in recently, and we moved from across town so Parker could be closer to her new job.”

Eliot scowled a little “Oh, so you two get to shack up together, while I don’t get either of you? Sounds fair.” He muttered rolling his eyes. 

 

“Hey.” Hardison said, frowning at the accusation “You know I’d rather us all be together. Besides, our apartments are in the same building, we won’t be far if you get lonely. And if Parker has to work, well, Benjamin Oliver works from home.” 

Eliot rolled his eyes, but Hardison could tell that he was hiding a smile, and mentally did a victory dance. 

“So what are Sophie and Nate’s parts?” Eliot asked, changing the subject. 

“Sophie is playing a lawyer who had just forayed into the world of criminal cases, after a successful career in civil suits. Nate… not sure on Nate yet. Parker hasn’t told me. But, they won’t be getting to New York until sometime next week. They had something come up apparently. Parker said it was fine, so I’m not too worried.” Hardison said with a shrug. 

Eliot arched an eyebrow “Something came up?” he said incredulously. “What could come up in Texas? Unless...” 

“A con?” Hardison suggested, and Eliot sighed, 

“A con.” He agreed. “I thought those two were supposed to be retired?” He grumbled. 

“Yeah.” Hardison said with a scoff “Those two could handle being retired about as long as you can stand to let us eat junk food.” Sophie and Nate would only retire if they were bed ridden or dead (even then, he wouldn’t put it past the pair to con their way into heaven). 

“Hey, that crap is bad for you Hardison.” Eliot said, part of a practiced argument that one would think they had often (They do) “It’s not my fault you can’t appreciate real food!” 

Hardison shook his head. “Pizza is real food, man!” 

“You’re hopeless!”


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three here we go! Plot is getting in gear! Also I SUCK at writing fight scenes so sorry in advance for ya’ll having to read that. Note that all three of these chapters were already written so don't expect such quick updates in the future. Though Commenting and giving feed back does speed up the process. I'm not even sorry for that. I'm an attention whore. I like feedback, preferably nice.

January 14th, Exotica Strip Club, New York New York

Eliot officially hated long cons. Especially long cons, in a strange city, where he had to work two jobs, and watch his partner dance and flirt with other men on a daily basis. He wasn’t jealous of those men, cause God knew he got plenty when he was home, but he was uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable for Eliot to watch Parker do that, knowing good and well what type of people some of the patrons were. He was uncomfortable because he knew Parker was uncomfortable. She was good at hiding it, but after knowing Parker for as long as Eliot had, she hated her role in this con. 

But there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Parker insisted that be the plan, she said she had to be a dancer. And she was right. When she finally revealed her plan, it made sense, and it wasn’t like he or Alec could dance the way she could. Or at all. But it didn’t mean he had to like it. Of course they all kept comms in all the time, so in case something went south while Eliot was being a cop instead of a bouncer, he would know. And to keep each other company. Eliot couldn’t respond, but it was almost soothing (though Eliot wouldn’t admit it to either of his partners) to hear Hardison’s random babbles throughout the days, rather than having to listen to the men he was supposed to be working with. 

Speaking of them, Eliot honestly couldn’t stand them. First of all, they were all WASPS, mostly from middle class families, who let their power go to his head. They were mostly dumb and all arrogant. That arrogance made it easy to grift himself into their ranks; he was a new guy, but a useful one. One who wouldn’t snitch on their little deal, especially since he was working both sides. Even after just a week with them, they seemed comfortable enough to tell him about their scam. They made sure the club avoided any attention and when a girl was getting to feisty, take care of her. The guy he was partnered with, Mike Evans, was the ring leader it seemed, with his friends being Raymond Collier, Francis Wester, and Harold Quinn. Eliot was also pretty sure that the Captain, Jacob Kress was in on it, but until he got in just a bit deeper, he wouldn’t know for sure. 

Yes there were good guys on the squad, innocent guys who had no idea what was happening, but Eliot couldn’t spend much time around them, not when Evans and his crew were the main focus of this part of the con. So, he spent most of his time with them, both as a cop and as an Exotica worker. 

Still couldn’t stand them. 

They were the type of men who Eliot would fight in a bar for being overbearing to women. They were the type of guys, that even when Eliot was doing his worst, he had never become. But for the con, he had to be one, so he sucked it up and did it, because Yvonne Knowles deserved justice whether or not he liked his part. 

So Eliot spent a week with the bastards, pretending to be one of them, then going to Exotica and pretending not to watch every man that came near Parker like a hawk. Instead he pretended to be one of them. To yell at the workers when they weren’t working hard enough, or when they turned down to many men. He had to yell at Parker, leer at her like all those other men. Every man she turned down. Parker had made it clear she would dance, but no more, to every patron. Eliot still watched though, and made it clear through whispered apologies that he didn’t mean it; he never meant those words. Parker would always laugh at that. It didn’t make Eliot like doing it any more. 

And when his shift was over, he would go to Alec’s apartment until Parker got there. Then they would discuss the con and the next move. So far the only place they were moving, he though as he poured another drink, was towards a routine. 

Not to mention Nate and Sophie still hadn’t shown up. On their last phone call, which had been the previous night, they swore they’d be there by morning, but Eliot had heard nothing from them, so he figured they weren’t in town. Which was just icing on top of the damn cake. 

The club was crowded, it was a Saturday night, so it was to be expected he mused, but still, it was jam packed, full of working girls and men who couldn’t look away. He was stuck at the bar, which he didn’t like. Eliot preferred the nights he was a bouncer and enforcer, not that there were many rules to enforce. That gave him mobility, but he and another new guy named Will alternated and tonight was his bar night. 

He could at least see Parker from his vantage point, which was a relief. She was dancing, using the pole like normal, and almost as if she knew he was watching her, Parker’s voice filled his ear. 

“You know, if it wasn’t for all the creepy stares these men give me, dancing would actually be pretty fun.” she whispered, her voice slightly breathy “It’s a really good work out. I think I may get one installed at home.” 

Eliot could hear Alec spluttering and had to suppress a laugh “I don’t know if that’s a good idea Parker.” He muttered quietly, turning away from the customer at the counter. “If Alec saw you dance like that, his head might explode, and we’d both be down a boyfriend.” 

Hardison’s protests were drown out by Parker’s giggle and Eliot’s laugh that was hidden by a chuckle.

“Ya’ll are just mean to me.” Hardison practically whined, and Eliot had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Just damn mean. Oh! And by the way Eliot, you can’t come over tonight. I spent all day cleaning.” 

Eliot frowned slightly “Hardison that makes less sense than you usually do.” 

“The plan is starting.” Parker said quietly “Hardison can explain because I’m busy trying not to glare at a creep.” 

Eliot wanted to ask which creep and he knew Hardison did too, but it was useless. There wasn’t a thing they could do about it then, “So Hardison, care to explain why I’ve been banned from the apartment?” he grumbled under his breath. His shift was nearly over and it was easier to hide that he was talking to no one in a crowded club with music than on an empty street. Though, it was New York in the middle of winter, so it was likely most people didn’t even care. 

“Well, according to Parker, the plan is starting. Once the cops get involved, we don’t want any traces of you having been at our house.” Hardison explained “And vice versa. So, you might want to wipe down your apartment, and make it look like a single guy lives there.” 

“What, so like your old room?” Eliot shot back. 

“I want to argue, I really do, but yeah you right.” Alec replied, sounding slightly defeated.

Eliot just shook his head and poured another drink. It was going to be a long night. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, Jones. You ever had to kill someone before?”

The gravelly voice of Officer Mike Evans broke Eliot from his thoughts, surprising him a bit. The silence had fallen over the two, and Eliot was waiting rather impatiently for the call he knew was coming. He could hear the shouting from Parker’s comm that denoted the fight was happening. Of course, though Eliot was getting impatient, he was still as a statue. As far as Mike knew he was just working graveyard shift, and likely tired. But the question actually shocked Eliot. He… he wasn’t prepared for that. 

He didn’t stumble in his answer, no more than Adrian Jones would anyhow. “Hell of a question.” He muttered “But yeah, I’ve killed a few over the years. What about you Evans? Ever use that gun of yours?”

The other officer laughed, and something about it was unsettling. “A few times. But I’ve also gotten a few another way. Hand to hand gone wrong and what not.” He said flippantly enough to make Eliot wish he could pummel the guy. More than he already wanted to, that is. “But I’m glad this won’t be your first time.” 

Eliot’s blood ran cold. He thought cleaning up was covering for what had happened, not actual murder. And this time, no one was supposed to die. Parker was supposed to pretend to die, but then pretend to be in a coma. They had a plan and this wasn’t it. Eliot stopped that train of thought. It didn’t matter, they could handle it. He just needed to let the other know now so Parker had time to change her plan. 

Eliot was suddenly aware that Mike had been prattling on about something, whilst he was trying to figure out how to tip Parker and Hardison off without tipping Mike off. He caught sight of a convenience store that they were approaching. He plastered a smile on his face and forced a laugh that he hoped sounded real “Hey man, sorry to interrupt you, but think we could make a pit stop? Nature calls and all that.” 

Evans laughed “No problem Jones.” He said, while pulling up to the curb “And get me a coffee or something while you’re in there! I’m getting sleepy” He called, even though Eliot was already almost in the convenience store. 

“Parker, Hardison.” He hissed as he entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him “We have a change in plans.” 

“A change in Plans? Aw naw man, we do not have time for ‘a change in plan’ right now. Not-“ 

“Damnit Hardison I know!” Eliot growled, cutting him off. “The club owner isn’t gonna try to off Parker, the cops are! That’s what they meant by clean-up.” 

“We can fix that.” Parker’s voice surprised him. It had been quiet on her end for a few minutes, but this was the first she’d spoken to them “Tell him you want to do this job; I’m sure he’ll be getting a phone call soon. You won’t actually kill me.” She said in a ‘duh’ tone of voice. 

“Obviously not.” Eliot snapped. “But the problem is that if Jones tries to get in on it, the ‘killing’. If I try to reign him in, I could risk my whole cover.” 

“But he won’t” Parker argued. “Evans is like an eviler, less smart Nate. He likes to control things.” 

“Which is why he would want to get in on it. Make sure you’re actually dead.” Eliot retorted. 

Parker’s sigh of frustration wasn’t lost on him. “No, he likes to control people! And if you put this girl-er me into a coma, then he controls you. He has dirt on you Eliot, an assault charge at the least.” 

“That’s- That’s pretty sound logic- but I still don’t like it.” Eliot grumbled 

“Too bad.” Was Parker’s only response and Eliot could feel a headache forming. She had spent too much time talking to Nate. 

“Yeah, and you better go dude.” Hardison said “Your cop buddy is getting that phone call right about now. “ 

“We ain’t friends.” Eliot growled as he unlocked the bathroom door and made his way back into the store. “And I’m headed back to the car now.”

“Good.” Parker said “because it’s cold out here Eliot and these outfits don’t do much to keep me warn.” 

Eliot didn’t respond. He just pushed his way back out into the freezing New York winter, then climbed back into the cop car still parked at the curb. 

“Sorry man, they were outs coffee in there.” Eliot said with a nod towards the convenience store. 

Evans laughed “It’s not a problem Jones. I don’t need it anymore anyhow. I’m wide awake.”

“Why’s that?” ‘Adrian’ asked, a grin playing at his face, though Eliot wanted nothing more than to strangle the man and be done with it. “Got a hot date lined up?” 

“Not exactly.” Evans said with a smirk. “But something nearly as interesting. You remember how I told you about our little side scam?” 

Eliot nodded, looking at him curiously “Yeah, I work both sides of it. Remember?”

“Course I do Jones. But tonight you get a real taste of what our side is.” Evans put the car in drive and took a left, heading towards the street where Parker was likely walking. 

“What do you mean?” Eliot asked, laughing slightly “I thought we just kept their names off any record, made sure other cops avoided it.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong Jones.” Evans said with a laugh “See, the girls who get to be too much trouble, who try to cause problems. We take care of them. We make them disappear. And tonight is your induction, you are going to take care of one of them.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parker really wished the Eliot would hurry up and assault her. New York Winters were absolutely freezing and her skimpy stripper clothes didn’t do much to help, even with a long coat and scarf on over it. 

So when she heard a vehicle roll up behind her and stop, all she felt was relief. The sooner she was attacked, the sooner Hardison could find her, the sooner she got to get out of the cold. 

However, she almost belatedly realized she had to sell the part, so she sped up, hunching her shoulder and walking more quickly, trying to make herself a small target, just like Sophie had taught her. Apparently that was how all women walked at night. She wasn’t sure why- it wouldn’t do anything really, or at least Parker didn’t think so. 

She was pretty sure she was right when a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, and pushed her into an alley. The hand was familiar at least, Eliot’s. Parker resisted the urge to smirk. She’d been right. Instead, Parker grimaced as she hit the cold pavement in an alley. 

“Alright now, bitch.” That wasn’t Eliot talking, it had to be his creepy partner, Mike Evans. “You pissed some people off, threating to go to the police about the club like that.” 

His voice was taunting, and had she not know that behind Eliot’s cold expression there was concern, and not had her own decent skills, Parker could see exactly how it would be a terrifying situation. “w-what do you want?” she asked, hoping the fear in her voice was convincing. 

“Nothin’” It was Eliot, well Adrian Jones, that spoke that time, and it was a creepy tone. “There ain’t a thing you can do girlie.” 

Evans laughed, and it was not a nice laugh, Parker thought as she crawled back against the wall. 

“No, tonight we’re going to make an example of you, Eliza.” Evans said with a sneer. HE turned away from her and looked at Eliot. “Do your best, but don’t mess her up too bad. I’ll wait at the edge of the alley. You’ve got potential.” 

“Make it look real.” Parker whispered once he was out of ear shot. “Don’t kill me but I need some bruises.” 

Eliot’s mask had fallen and he shook his head. Parker cut him off. “Do it.” 

Eliot gave her a look, but Parker ignored it. Like she really wanted Eliot to punch her. The things they did for a con…”NO! Please don’t!” She cried dramatically, trying to channel her inner desperate girl.

“Shut up!’ Eliot growled, falling back into character. This was punctuated by a kick to the stomach. IT wasn’t too hard, but it would leave a bruise. 

This continued for a few minutes. A few light kicks and punches, enough to leave a mark, but not enough to hurt her. Each was usually punctured by a loud insult and a softer apology from Eliot. Finally he crouched down and pulled her into a head lock. 

“This is gonna hurt.” He whispered “and you’ll probably pass out, but it’s the best option for knocking you out safely.”

He was right. It hurt like hell and it was terrifying. She knew Eliot wasn’t going to hurt her, but not having any air, the sensation of her lungs burning like hat. God she hated it. So it was a relief when her vision clouded and she slowly slipped from consciousness. At least the plan was working.


End file.
